Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1887-03-10
rnE aE.ELr. 81 pEL,r.

The people scaEssIy realize the effects
Of che failuFe Of TIE General Deficiency
Appropriatien bali. They are far
reaching and disastrous. A stop will be
pat 20 Government wsrk Of various
kinds aud many branches Of the public
service viii be Seriously crippled. 10
almost every department. the effects
Of the failure gill Be felt. for in
almost every one additional sppEopria-
tons we're neaded to al out the mig
gardly and inadequate ones which were
made by the Forty-ninth Congress at
its first session.
The failure Of this bin should impress
the people With the fslly Of The Gus
toms and usaees which nov hamper
and Tetard Congressional action. Az
the late session. as has besn Gus omaFy
Of late years. the appropriation bills
we're held back By the Hoass COMMITTEES
on Appropriations sntiI within The last
few days Of the session, when they we're
hurried through both houses without
allowing the members Of either an ade-
quAte opportunity 10 scrutinize or dis
cuss them. One Of thess bills, and that
not one Of the least Important ones. was
held back few hours too long and It
failed 10 become q lav. Il passed both
houses With slight differences. the con-
ference committees came 10 an agree
ment In regard TO those differences, and
the compromise measure vas accepted
by both houses. By the time the Senate
vas ready 70 vote upon II. however. ID
was within few minutes Of the time
when the session aad the Congress
must come 10 an end. Hasten a. they
would. the clerks could not eneross the
bill before the hands on the clock oreps
around to She important moment. Con-
Rress had adjourned sine de before
their task was completed. The bill
thus failed TO become law for lack Of
few minutes Of time. II failed be-
cause II had been held back little too
long. II failed because the members Of
an important committee had either
neglected their duty or had deliberately
retarded necessary legislation.
Among other effects Of the failure Of
this bin will be the cessation Of work
upon the powerful and almost completed
steel cruisers Boston. ChioaRo and A.
lsuta. These great war vessels must re-
main In their uBcsmpleied condition
until the Fiftieth Congress provides for
their conpletioR. II IL estimated at the
Navy Department that. under the most
favorable circumstances, the work upoa
the vessels will be retarded by the fail
uFe Of the bill for from eighteen months
to two years. The Signal Service will
also be greatly crippled and many Of its
most valuable features will necessarily
be eliminated. Further than this, the
extension OF the free postal delivery SER
vice authorized ct che first session Of
the late Congress will be impossible for
souae tune. In this the people Of Seat.
tie are particularly interested, for this
city is one Of those TO which the free de-
livery Was 10 have been extended early
in the coming summer.
And Il must be remembered that all
Of these things occur while the treasury
is fairly overlooking. IL il common
enough fot be public service Of an i'm
poverishsd government TO be crippled
and inadequate fer want Of funds, bat
for the public service Of a government
whose treasury contains q surplus zoo
large 10 be disposed Of, 10 be crippled
oeoaase none Of thas surplus can BE- APP
piled for its relief, is 4 thing unheard Of
since the organization OF the first
human government. IL is q most
shameful state Of affairs and the culpa.
BILE negligence Of those who are respon-
sihle for il should not be forgotten BY
the people.